throw it all away
by skylands
Summary: the story of a boy and a girl trying to escape the maze we call love. "they stay there, side by side, long after she stops breathing." drew/nico. for bree.


**merry christmas bree, this is for you. c:**

**thanks to tate for beta reading.  
**

* * *

The girl is looking at him with a disdainful expression her face. Her arms are crossed. Nico returns her gaze with an amused expression, waiting for the outburst.

"The least you can do is say sorry."

An eyebrow shoots up. He'd been expecting something more along the lines of, "_Oh my God, this is couture. Do you even know how hard it is to wash coffee stains off this_?"

"I'm sorry," he replies, his surprise evident in his voice. The girl's pretty face is full of contempt, her mouth set in a thin, straight line. Her hair falls down to her shoulders in black ringlets, past her heavily lined eyes.

Nico is observing these features when suddenly a huge, black figure bounds out from the shadows. Mrs. O'Leary scrambles to get her bearings, gives an excited "woof!" and then seeing Nico flings herself onto him.

"Easy, girl," he says, trying to wipe the drool from his face. He pushes the hellhound aside, to find the girl staring at him in horror.

"What _is _that?" she exclaims, slowly backing away. She turns to Nico, trying not to look scared and failing. "Who are you?"

"Wait, you can see her?" he asks, surprised.

"It isn't very hard to see a dog as big as a tank," she replies, holding up her bag in front of her body, as if that would protect her if Mrs. O'Leary attacked. The hellhound, however, sits down next to Nico, panting and wagging her tail.

"I think we need to talk," he says grimly.

_and that was the first time nico di angelo met drew tanaka._

* * *

Three weeks later, Nico is at Camp Half-Blood, the place he swore to never return to. All because of a girl, a daughter of _Aphrodite_. Drew Tanaka, her name is.

He'd just brought her to the Camp two weeks ago, and she's already made herself at home, walking around like she owns the place, with a small group of her siblings trailing behind her.

He remembers her first day, when she stuck to him like a frightened little thing and turned a blind eye to anything Chiron said about gods or demigods. He was the one who had introduced her to a few good people around camp; Percy, Annabeth, Silena.

But it all seemed to have been in vain as soon as Aphrodite claimed her. Now she's already dumped her first boyfriend and bunked her entire day's activities. She's stopped greeting him at breakfast or coming to him for help, only giving him a forced smile when they meet.

Nico's never felt this way about a girl before, so frustrated yet unsure what, exactly, there is to be frustrated about. Because she's a daughter of Aphrodite, and this is what they do, who they are.

Frowning slightly, he slowly steps out of bed. This is going to be his last day at Camp. He's wasted enough time on Drew.

He opens the door of his cabin, wanting to get some fresh air, only to find his way blocked the subject of his musings. "Lacy said that Silena said that Beckendorf said that Percy said that you're leaving." She speaks unblinkingly, without taking a breath, and Nico thinks she deserves an award for somehow compressing a whole sentence into a few syllables.

"Yes, I am," he says lightly. "Why?"

She opens her mouth as if she wasn't expecting that question but changes course and replies haughtily. "That's good. I was beginning to wonder when you'd go."

* * *

The next time he sees her, there's a dagger in her stomach. There are screams ringing in his ears and the smell of blood up his nose – rust and salt. He feels like the world is closing in on him; he can sense the panic in the air.

He stabs the empousa he's fighting and rushes to her side, ignoring the battle around him. He doesn't know why, but he _must _get to her. He must. **  
**

As soon as he gets to her, he knows it's too late. He pulls the knife out of the wound, and looks into her eyes. They widen as she recognizes the boy bending over her. She tries to say something, spluttering blood everywhere, but Nico squeezes her hand and her she stops. "Shh, Drew."

They stay there, side by side, long after she stops breathing.


End file.
